A beautician lost her life in the hopes of losing weight. She opted for a cheap weight loss injection, which ended with fatal consequences.
Now, more heartbreaking details are coming out. Keep reading to learn more.
Karen McGonigal, a mother and grandmother from Greater Manchester in the UK, passed away in a hospital just days after she received a dose of illegally administered semaglutide.
The 53-year-old was apparently ‘desperate’ to lose weight and had also been struggling with her mental health.
“She didn’t feel happy in herself, she didn’t want to go out anywhere. I think she just wanted her old self back – she wanted to lose weight to get her confidence back,” her daughter Abbie McGonigal told the media.
She revealed that her mother had initially tried to get the medicine from her doctor but was told it was not available on the NHS, the UK’s National Health Service.
Karen was then informed by some friends that a local beauty salon was selling the drugs.
A message was uncovered that was sent to Karen, in which she was offered a dose of semaglutide for only £20 (around $26) per shot.
The message that was initially sent read, “Hi hun my mum’s been speaking to her friend and they have recommended you for the weight loss injection, I was just wondering if I could have he information on it please and possibly book my mum in.”
The beautician replied to her, “Hiya yes I offer the Semaglutide and the Mounjaro, I’d be happy to book her for a chat and see if it’s something she wants to do.”
Another text following this up read, “I charge £20 per injection.”
These are private alternatives to, however, GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro are only supposed to be legally dispensed through an approved prescription from a healthcare professional.
“Aw perfect yes can you book her in please,” the text exchange went on. “Also would she be able to have her injection on that day or would it be a different day? Just so I can send her with the money for it.”
The message confirmed that the injection could be administered the same day and Karen was booked for an appointment the very next day.
However, Karen’s family later discovered to their horror that she had not been given tirzepatide, the active ingredient in the brand name Mounjaro, but had instead been administered semaglutide, which is a different weight loss drug with a different treatment plan and dosage.
Abbie as well as her sister, Ffion say that the salon their mother went to did not take the appropriate health and safety precautions. They said the beautician had taken a break from doing someones nails to give their mother the injection.
“No preparation, no cleaning, nothing,” Ffion said. “She’d give it to my mom, my mom would pay her, and she’d be out in three minutes.”
It wasn’t until a few days later when the family noticed that something was wrong. They noticed that Karen was ‘purple’ and in a lot of pain in her stomach and was having a hard time breathing.
Ffion said by the time they took her to the hospital, she was not awake. After spending two days in intensive care, her life support was turned off.
The sisters are now issuing warnings about the risks of unregulated weight-loss treatments. They are warning others not to go for ‘cheaper’ black market alternatives.
Abbie said, “The outcome is devastating. It’s heartbreaking and it’s really, really not worth it.”
“I think the people who are actually injecting people with this stuff – more needs to be done to them,” she went on. “These people are getting away with destroying people’s lives.”
According to local media, there has been one person arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, while another has been arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled substances.
There is currently an active investigation into the matter.
READ MORE
